VisitAberdeenshire's Routes to their North East Roots
6 August 2014
My Route to My North East Roots...
With the Route to Your North East Roots event fast approaching this weekend the VisitAberdeenshire team thought they would tell you a bit about their Aberdeen ancestry. With 50 million people worldwide claiming Scottish ancestry, it's easier than you think to find your past in Aberdeen.
Adelle...
My family is very much an Aberdeenshire family, on both sides. We have always been a farming family, mainly in north Aberdeenshire, with the majority of my immediate relations having once been farmers themselves or sons and daughters of farmers. I have recently taken a greater interest in my family history, more so now than ever, since the passing of my great, great aunt. She and her twin sister were the oldest twin sisters in the world at the age of 104 years.
This fact is amazing to me in itself, but even more so since my sister and I are also twins! I'm not certain there's much family resemblance (I do remember being dressed in very similar matching dresses as a child) but I do hope we live for just as long!
A family member completed our family tree some years ago on the other side of the family and we discovered we're related to Judy Garland, so why not come to Aberdeen and see where we can take you - you might be pleasantly surprised!
Nikki...
My roots to the North East lie in Cruden Bay. My papa (my mum’s dad) grew up in the fishing village with his parents and brothers and sisters. They lived at the end of a little cul-de-sac just across from the beach. My mum tells me that my great grandfather owned a fishing trawler and my papa worked on it with him for a while before joining the RAF and heading off to war. When he came back from the war he had a few different jobs in Cruden Bay including a stint as the local postman and a job at the brickworks.
After a while he and my granny (who he met during the war) went south and it was during their time away from the North East that my mum was born. The family then came back north in 1965 and lived in Aberdeen for about 9 years. My grandparents and my mum then moved down to Ayrshire, where my mum and dad met. I was born 10 years later and enjoyed trips up to Cruden Bay with my parents where we stayed with my great aunt and uncle (in the same house at the end of the cul-de-sac that my papa grew up in and my mum visited as a youngster). I remember being taken to see the Tall Ships and going to Storybook Glen – I loved sitting in Postman Pat’s car!
It was in 2008 that I was offered a job in Aberdeen. My mum was sad I was moving away from my hometown but at the same time was thrilled that it was Aberdeen I was moving to as she had so many fond memories of her time living here. She and my dad love coming up to visit me, and my mums side of the family have a get-together every summer in Cruden Bay for our annual BBQ. The weather has never failed us yet – the sun always shines in Cruden Bay!
I really love Cruden Bay! And not only because I have family ties to the beautiful fishing village. The beach, the boats, the little streets and the ladies bridge – it’s all so quaint, and don’t forget the stunning views from the cruden bay golf course! My papa loved playing at the golf course and claimed that the view from the 10th tee was by far the best. He always wanted to move back to his hometown but unfortunately didn’t get the chance. Thankfully he is resting there though – my grandparents ashes were scattered in Cruden Bay.
If you want to discover your North East roots take a look at our Ancestral Tourism page